Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-T1 Digital Camera

The Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-T1 is one of those digital cameras that captures your eye right away due to its looks and size, charms you with its features and, unless the price is too high, becomes your very own property. I was one of those that began using digital cameras a lot later than most people, and Sony's DSC-T1 is the first model that I had extensive time with. For the average consumer, this is an amazing camera but bear with me as I review a digital camera for the first time.

The most enthralling thing about this camera is most definitely its size. When I was handling various cameras at ComputerUSA I originally completely overlooked this model because it is so tiny. Its dimensions are 3.6 x 2.4 x 0.8 inches, which is virtually the size and depth of a Pocket PC. This unit is less than an inch in thickness, and considering the quality of this camera and all of its features it is bewildering. The camera also weighs a mere 6.3 ounces, which is extremely light for a digital camera. So as you can tell, you can carry this camera around with you basically everywhere due to its extreme portability, as it will fit into almost any pocket.

The layout is fairly complex to describe, but I will give it a shot. The majority of the back is taken up by a gorgeous 2.5 inch LCD screen. To the right of this screen, there is a wide array of buttons that might confuse first-time camera users if they have not carefully read through the 100+ page manual. Toward the bottom there are four directional buttons (used mainly for using the menus) with a 'select' button in between them. Next to them are three more small circular buttons, which are used to access the screen, menu, and image delete or resize options. Above those is the zoom in/out double-trigger. The right side of the camera is home to the bar that switches off between movie, photo and playback modes. The bottom of the unit is home to the connector, which is used for transferring files via a USB 2.0 cable as well as for recharging the camera itself. The top of the unit is where you will find the vital power and shutter release button (to take pictures), as well as a small LED that is used to signal whether the camera is on or off.

The front of the unit (when closed) is taken up mostly by a large sliding panel that features the Cyber-shot logo. As you slide it down, you will see the lens and the lens. The bottom right corner also has a logo of the manufacturer – Sony. The lens is a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar, and this is a 5.1 megapixel camera. With a 5.1 megapixel camera, you get amazing quality pictures. The lens is also an internal lens, which has a 3X optical zoom. The lens moves around inside the camera, and makes a quiet moving noise, yet it never protrudes beyond the surface. The entire camera is made of a metallic substance and has a very elegant silver finish.

The picture quality of the pictures taken with this camera is top notch. Now I might not be a professional photographer, and can't tell a major difference between pictures taken with a 5 and 6 megapixel camera, but all of the pictures that I took were extremely sharp, detailed and saturated with natural colors. Even when you enlarge the pictures to about 8 x 11, the prints are still wonderful and clear. For the average consumer, I do not see a need for a camera that is higher than 5.1 megapixels.

The digital camera comes equipped with a 32 megabyte Memory Stick Duo memory card, which is definitely insufficient as you can't even fit 15 pictures at the highest quality on it. This means that you will have to shop around for a Memory Stick Duo or a Memory Stick Pro Duo card. This are fairly expensive as the 256 megabyte models are slightly under $100 a pop while the 512 version is double that. This accessory is a must, but as you can see it will set you back a hundred or two.

With this digital camera, you can the option of shooting videos with integrated audio – not only pictures. The movie mode is exceptional, as you can shoot movies at a 640 by 480 pixel, 30 frames per second video as long as you own a Memory Stick Pro Duo card. The movies can be as long as the memory card allows, thereby you are not limited to measly 15-second clips. If you purchase a slightly cheaper Memory Stick Duo card, then you can only record movies at 16.6 frames per second. There is also an option to record movies at a very low resolution, which will allow for easy and quick email attachments.

The flash is fairly weak on this camera, and this is one of its problems. One of the main problems is the fact that the flash was placed almost directly next to the lens. Also, since the camera is so small you need to sacrifice something, and the power of the flash is the sacrifice for this camera. The range on this flash is a mere 5 feet maximum, which is poor for those who like to take pictures at late-night parties and the like. There is also a problem with the red-eye reduction, as even though the camera has a red-eye reduction setting it doesn't work too well and you are usually stuck with a bunch of pictures with red eyes. Although a simple quick PhotoShop brush-up will fix the ordeal, it is a small nuisance.

The battery life is pretty good. This camera comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which is now a staple within the portable audio, PDA, digital camera and laptop industries. The battery recharges fairly quickly and is good for about 200 pictures. If you are shooting a movie and have ample space, it lasts around an hour. Be prepared to constantly recharge it if you are an enthusiastic photographer and make sure to make a charger at all times when traveling.

There is one thing that is definitely missing from this camera, and that is a lack of a tripod mount. If would have been very nice to mount the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-T1 on a tripod and take a few pictures of scenery while on a vacation or to just make sure that your hand doesn't quiver whatsoever when taking an important or memory-filled picture.

This camera also comes with a cradle (into which the camera fits very smugly), a USB 2.0 cable (to transfer photos and movies), an Audio/Video cable, some software, an AC adapter (to recharge the battery) and a wristband. I recommend using the wristband due to the camera's small size as it is a way to protect it from slipping out of your hand. The software is very easy to install, and using it is fairly straightforward. All pictures will become JPEG files, while all movies will be MPEG files.

Overall, the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-T1 is a great camera. It is tiny, powerful, sleek and packed with features. Seven scene modes (Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Snow, Beach, High-Speed Shutter, and Fireworks), three autofocus modes, five white-balance choices should suffice for most non-professional photographers. The extremely fast shutter lag is amazing, as you can shoot a picture nearly every second on continuous mode. The ability to shoot high-quality movies and the 5.1 megapixel lens should keep consumers very happy. If the flash was a bit stronger and there was a tripod mount, this would be an ideal digital camera. But even though it lacks those two things, the T1 is still a very good choice for a digital camera, especially considering its size.